Delia's Side Quest
by Nikolai Mirovich
Summary: A young halfling woman agrees to assist an innkeeper whose lost his cat, only to find herself lost deep underground where an ancient and powerful creature has slumbered for a thousand years.


Author's Note: Okay, this story has nothing to do with anything else I've written to date. It was written as a gift to my editor, actually. (And I believe that I'm still owed lunch from her husband due to the kickback he received from the gift) All the names of people and places have been purposely changed, or left somewhat vague due to copywrite fears in the future. Although I have no immediate plans to write further adventures in this world that are of an adult nature, I am writting a novel that takes place in it and didn't want to have problems in the future. Thus, I'm sorry if there's some vagueness here and there. Also, I'm running a D&D game that takes place in this world, hence the main character is one of my PC's, her player having requested this story a while back. Anyway, I hope you all like this,even if it's not what I normally write. I look forward to your imput, good or bad!

Delia's Side Quest

By

Nikolai Mirovich

The mornings were always the same in Starfall. Beginning an hour before Etamin's light painted the western horizon a crisp pale blue, the air within the crater turned terribly cold, as the last of its heat finally leached away into what little was left of the night.

Even as the sun rose, its golden rays warming the other villages and towns along the jagged teeth of the Schtauffen mountain chain, Starfall still had a few hours before Etamin would bring its blessing down upon the small, fenced in gardens of the villagers and the stunted grasses that their few livestock grazed upon.

It was this deep chill that had awoken her for the forth night in a row that she'd slept outside. The first having been spent in the comparative luxury of the village's recently constructed inn, but the nights since had been spent in the small tent she'd brought with her from Hallow-  
Vine By. That place seemed so far away now, and Delia half-  
wondered what had possessed her to leave safety of the temperate plains and rolling hills of her homeland for this harsh, mountainous wasteland.

Shivering in her sleeping bag, the halfling woman brought it up over her head and held the opening tightly closed. With winter only a week away, the mornings were likely to only get worse, and Delia wanted to enjoy sleeping in while she still could. But between the cold, and the sounds of people moving about outside, some issuing orders that echoed throughout the village, and others dealing with hungry livestock, Delia barely managed an extra half-hour of dozing.

Grumbling every curse she could think of, the halfling finally slipped quickly from her sleeping bag and grabbed up the fur-lined cloak she'd made with her own hands not many days before. Closing it around herself tightly, the warm grey fur of the worg she herself had slain helping to keep the woman's diminutive body warm, Delia shuffled the short distance to the exit and peeked out the tent-flap.

Sure enough, there was the occasional movement from the other dozen or so tents set up on the east side of the church where her other traveling companions more than likely dozed peacefully. They were more experienced than Delia, and better acclimatized to the cold, but the woman did her level best not show how green she still was. It was bad enough that most human's seemed to mistake her for a child, especially with her preference for more comfortable fitting armour that all but concealed her womanly bosom. The last thing the halfling needed was to be teased about being wet behind the ears.

With a heavy sigh, she checked to make sure her bootlaces were secure before heading off behind the church, following the inner wall of the crater that Starfall resided in until she came to the front of the Honoured Guest Inn.

The building had been built into mountain itself, as building space in the land was forever competing with growing space, but was no less inviting for being at least something of a cave. Standing on her toes to glance into the window, and cursing the people of the area for being so tall, Delia made sure that they were open for business; breakfast in particular, before tackling the heavy oak door.

As it did every morning, the door resisted with all its might, the frost having partially sealed it, but with both hands on the curving wooden handle, Delia managed to yank it open after a moment, giving a passing farmer a dirty look as he almost made to help but didn't quite make it.

"I'm not helpless," she muttered under her breath as the door's frozen hinges creaked and crackled, the woman feeling a little bad about it only as the smell of fresh bread touched her nose and the warmth of the hearth warmed her bones.

Being careful to pull the door closed behind her against the non-existent wind, Delia hurried over to a table near the roaring fire in the Dwarven designed hearth. As she waited for the barmaid to take notice, the halfling glanced up at the snarling, bestial head mounted above it. The creature appeared reptilian, except that it's scales seemed more like flat shards of shale, and the large, round black orbs it had for eyes somehow just didn't seem to be ornamental.

Delia had noticed the creature the first night she'd been in Starfall. The night she'd decided to treat herself to warm bath and an actual bed after the near fatal encounter with the worgs along the trade route. Like anyone else, they had to get ready for a long winter as well, but in the end, opposable thumbs had ruled the day.

Now, however, the woman took the time to really look at it. The creature was probably more than three times her size in life, and its snouted maw could have easily have snapped her in two. The little placard beneath it read, "The Falling Star Beast. Slain in the spring of 0998."

Delia shuddered as she read it, thinking about what such a creature must have done to the village four months shy of two years past. But her reverie was interrupted as a tall woman came up to her at last, dragging the halfling's attention away from the monstrous mounted head.

"Just breakfast for ya, then?" the human woman inquired a little wearily, rubbing a bit of sleep from her eye before glancing at the creature above the hearth as well and giving a small laugh, "Or are you just here for the pretty scenery?"

Delia spared the Falling Star Beast another glance. "Breakfast would be great, lass," she agreed with a firm nod, "But there ain't nothing pretty about whatever the heck that used ta be."

The barmaid breathed a heavy sigh, her dark eyes seeming distant for a moment. "Oh, that's very true," she agreed almost wistfully, "But many are the memories that come with it, and not all of them are as bad as ya might think. What is the loss of our milking cows and a nightmare here and there when you think of all that those brave men did to save us."

"Brave men?" the halfling inquired, curiosity momentarily overcoming the rumbling of her stomach, the barmaid nodding with a still wistful smile.

"Oh, especially that bard they had," the tall woman chuckled to herself, the innuendo not lost on the halfling who blushed a little as she hid her face behind her long auburn curls for half a moment, "But yes. They came shortly after we were attacked by that freakish thing. A gargoyle, I think they called it. Slew it after only a few hours and saved us all. They didn't stay long after, but it was no more than a month later that they came back with pair of industrious Dwarven men intent on helping us expand the village and a heaping pile of gold they insisted on simply giving us for all the trouble they claimed to have caused us!"

Delia's eyes widened at the story, shaking her head awe at such generosity. "That would explain why I hadn't heard of Starfall before last summer," she agreed, "And all of the new construction."

The barmaid sighed heavily, shaking her head in bemused dismay. "Yeah, but with all the comings and goings we've had lately, especially with winter coming, we've had to deal with new problems."

"Anything I can help ya with?" Delia said automatically, wincing at how overeager she sounded, and deciding to blame the often over zealous leader of the group she belonged to for it.

The barmaid shrugged. "Oh, it's just that my uncle Albrecht's cat ran off last night," she replied, looking up at the ceiling as if for guidance, "He's convinced she's still about somewhere, but he doesn't seem terribly willing to look for her. Seems more apt to lay about mope around about it. If you ask me it's those goblins we have trouble with every so often?" The woman shuddered as her voice trailed off. "So, breakfast then, right? Okay, it'll be a few."

Delia watched as the woman turned and walked away, stopping off at a few other tables on her way to place the order. "Hm. I could probably get a cat back from a few wee goblins," the halfling pondered quietly to herself, glancing at the gargoyle once more, "Can't be any worse than that thing. Ah well, I'll be sure ta tell the boss when she gets up."

After finishing what she could of the all too hearty traditional breakfast, Delia paid the barmaid and staggered to her feet, her hand held to her stomach. "I've got to get out of this kingdom," the halfling muttered to herself, "it was good, but I feel like I've swallowed a stone!"

Looking around to see if anyone else from her troupe had come in for breakfast yet and had either not seen or worse, chosen to ignore her, Delia stood for a moment and waited for her breakfast to settle. Deciding not to wait for them, the halfling made to move for the door, but just then, she noticed the cook come out of the door to the kitchen.

The burly man's graying hair was still a bit of a mess, and his eyes had dark circles under them. He slouched somewhat as he spoke to the barmaid, who shook her head helplessly and gave him a wane smile before going back to work.

"I'd bet Whackety that's the uncle," the halfling pondered quietly to herself, patting the coiled ancestral whip on her hip, the fact that Delia was one day going to be the first of that particular 'ancestral' line never really seeming to bother the woman, "Ah well, might as well see what I can find out."

Taking her time, Delia walked across the carved stone floor and up to the long wooden bar. By the time she got there, the barmaid was long gone, and the cook was wiping his hands on his apron unconsciously, readying himself to go back to work.

"Excuse me, sir!" the halfling called out over the cacophony of voices that had formed over the course of half an hour as other travelers came in or came downstairs for a bite to eat, the woman having to jump up a bit, waving her arm to get his attention.

Frowning for a moment before looking down over the broad expanse of his stomach, at last spotting the small woman, the cook gave her a bit of a frown. "Sorry, kid," he said a dismissive wave, "but I've got work to do. Talk to Yolanda if you need something to eat."

Delia glowered darkly up at him, biting back a string of curses. "It ain't about food," she managed, the man's shins looking like a good place to lodge her boot, "I heard you were missing a cat. I just wanted to see if I could help."

The man's eyes widened and a hopeful smile crossed his face. "Really!" he all but exclaimed, his dark eyes alight with joy, "My, my niece, she won't believe me that my poor Klara went and got herself stuck down one of those old rat tunnels they dug out when they built the inn. Helps keep this place warmed up, ya know."

"It's prolly a lave tube," the halfling pondered aloud, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Do ya have a problem with rats as well?"

Albrecht grinned. "Not since I got Klara," he said proudly, "But I can't think of where else she could have gone. And my niece, she actually thinks the goblins got her! Bah! Everyone knows goblins are afraid of cats!"

Delia smirked at the comment, sizing the man up as she drew a conclusion as to why he hadn't gone searching for the cat himself. "She might have been with kittens," the halfling suggested, "Cats do tend to want to be alone when that's about to happen."

"I suppose," the cook replied with a helpless shrug, "Really, I've been too busy to notice that sort of thing. My own fault, I guess."

"Well," the halfling woman replied, deciding that the man's guilt would make up for the 'kid' remark for now, "I could always take a look for ya. Assumin' the tunnel isn't too narrow."

The man brightened a little more, a hopeful grin spreading across his aging face once more. "Really!" he said for the second time, belief obviously having a hard time working its way into his mind, "I, I could pay you, if you'd like. Free room and board for week! How does that sound?"

Delia sighed, her hand going to her stomach again as she imagined herself becoming tremendously lazy after a week of not roughing it. "Well, how about you pass that offer along to someone who can really use it?" she suggested, adding quickly, "myself and my friends won't be her for longer than another day or so. Since the direct path south isn't safe anymore, we're heading west to take the Gruenbury pass, so we'll have to head out before the snow really hits."

Albrecht nodded sagely, he'd heard about the destruction of the complex pulley system that allowed travelers to descend swiftly from the high cliffs at Fort Stellung after it'd been attacked by southern barbarians. Delia, however, wasn't about to add to this information by mentioning her own party's being partially responsible for the destruction of what was something of a National treasure.

"Well, I wish you all the best of luck," Albrecht replied, his hands clapping together, a habit of all merchants that signalled it was time to get down to business, "but if I could, the tunnel is just off the kitchen."

Delia nodded and quickly followed after him, Albrecht's lumbering gait making up for his long stride and allowing the much smaller woman to keep up with him without much of a problem. Once through the door, they entered into the squarely constructed kitchen, lit mostly by lanterns as it was too far away from the outside to have windows carved into its walls.

The room was fairly crowded, with several long tables in the middle for preparing food, and warmed by the three ovens. The small handful of people working there all seemed to be related, and barely spared Delia a glance as they spoke rapidly in their native tongue, their swift work not the least bit inhibited by their discussion of the latest gossip.

"It's in the second storage cupboard," Albrecht murmured softly, giving a nod an aging woman who was up to her elbows in pierogi filling and was more than likely his wife, "we don't keep anything edible in there, so we never thought to seal it up. My mistake, I guess."

Delia simply nodded as the tall man pulled open the wooden door, revealing stacks of metal pots, boxes of extra dinnerware and several brooms and mops. Squinting into the gloom, she could see the hole at the far end, the dust on the floor broken quite recently by small, feline footprints that had been disturbed when someone had dropped a box on the floor too heavily near it.

"Alright then," the halfling said with a determined nod, mentally measuring the rounded hole and deciding what she'd be able to bring with her just in case, as well as making a mental note about just why it was they called it a dungeon 'crawl', "Give me ten minutes to get a few things together, and if your cat's in any danger, I'll have her out of there in a few more."

The cook seemed greatly pleased by this, and let Delia hurry off once again before returning to his daily tasks, merrily setting to work on the few dozen cabbage rolls it'd been his duty to put together for the dinner rush that night.

"She's not going down that hole is she?" his wife inquired, rolling out a humongous ball of dough, "You know what they say about the tunnels."

The man sighed heavily, shaking his head at his superstitious wife. "The gargoyles were taken care of. The goblins live on the other side of the mountain, and the ratkin live at least three miles straight down," he assured her with a heavy sigh, receiving a still pensive look, "Oh, and those adventurers took care of those zombies in the mines last week, and no one's seen or heard from that black pudding that ate that troll in at least a month!"

Delia returned ten minutes later with what few things she'd need, and a note left back at her tent just in case something unforeseen happened. Armed with the long dagger she'd acquired in her journey thus far on the off chance that there really were rats in the narrow passage, a folded burlap sack in case the cat proved to be in a dangerous place, yet refused to leave it, a glow-rod for light and less bulky clothing beneath her cloak, Delia put on her most confident expression before seeking out the cook once more, hiding the gnawing nervousness she felt and hoping she wasn't forgetting anything essential.

The halfling found the burly man leaning over to look into the hole once again while still staying to one side of it, muttering to himself quietly as Delia's quiet footsteps were more than drowned out by the noise from the kitchen.

"Find anything?" she inquired brightly, startling the man and making him jump a bit, nearly hitting his head on the low ceiling as he dropped the stack of wooden bowels he was holding, the sound of their clattering against the stone floor causing a few curses to issue from the other room.

"Oh, I was just listening, hoping to hear Klara," Albrecht replied worriedly, wiping the nervous sweat from his brow, his wife's pessimistic superstition beginning to get the better of him as he glanced nervously back at the dark tunnel, "Or maybe those kittens she might be having?"

Delia shrugged in reply, not entirely hearing him as she stepped forward and did some mental calculations one last time, sizing up the entrance to determine how easily it would accommodate her stature.

"Nothin' ta worry about," she assured, the woman's voice echoing a little as she stuck her head in and touched the nearby dust motes, indeed finding a faint trail that marked the passage of a cat, "She can't have gone too far, and if she's in any danger I'll bring her back."

The man nodded as Delia came back out with a wide grin that was meant to seem confident reassuring, as well as to dispel any last moment doubts. Halflings were used to open spaces, not narrow tunnels, but Delia didn't feel overtly claustrophobic as she looked inside again, this time taking a glow-rod from her belt to get a better look.

Invoking the command word, the smooth sphere at the end of the quartz rod burst into a soft white light no brighter than a torch, reflecting off the walls and showing that the tunnel sloped easily down and to the left a few meters away, but still maintained a constant size.

"Well, good luck then!" Albrecht commented as Delia at last took off her furred cloak, draping it over a wooden crate before making her way into the tunnel.

"I shouldn't be long," she called back, finding ample room to crawl forward without scraping her back at all, her voice still echoing eerily down the tunnel.

As the man left, Delia sighed and put the rod sideways in her teeth, knowing that the undignified method would be easier that crushing her fingers under it every time she moved. With the glow-rod closer to the middle of the tunnel, it also lit it up a longer distance, making Delia feel a little more confident about the whole situation.

"Ah well, it'd be just my luck if the cat got out an hour ago and I'm just wasting my time," she chuckled quietly to herself, moving forward at an unhurried pace, keeping an eye out for the unexpected and soon finding that the sloping downwards tunnel eventually vanished into darkness.

Pausing for a moment to look for signs of passage, Delia found the rounded tunnel to be free of dust, its walls seeming to become smoother, almost melted the further she progressed. 'Yup, lava tubes,' she thought to herself, checking the angle of the slope to make sure she could easily climb back up, 'Good thing this place ain't been active since before there were people to notice!'

Satisfied that the incline was passable, the halfling woman shuffled carefully along, finding the path slippery, but easily navigated once she took off her gloves and used the flat of her hands to control her slow decent. 'No sense sliding straight down into a pit-trap or something,' she thought, recalling a cautionary tale from her childhood, 'Or straight into the cat?'

It took only a few minutes to reach more level ground once again, but what Delia encountered there caused the woman to frown with annoyance. "Who in Alethria designs theses places!" she exclaimed, spitting the glowing rod out into her hand, shaking her head at the additional three tunnels that branched off from the small, spherical chamber she'd found, "You'd think that lava would just flow in a single direction, not decide to just branch off into three just to confuse the heck out of a poor halfling lass-!"

Her voice echoed loudly down all four of the tunnel as Delia cut herself off, blushing and glancing about to see if anyone or anything had heard her, feeling rather foolish for overreacting. "It prolly just hit an open area," she reasoned, moving into a sitting position and finding the headroom to be just enough to be comfortable before glancing around, "then just went out through the softest spots in the rock."

Shrugging to herself, satisfied with the probable explanation, Delia leaned forward, pushing the glow-rod into the darkness of each of the unexplored tunnels in turn. Each seemed to be pretty much like the others, smoothly rounded, free of debris or any visible signs of passage, leading off into the darkness. To make matters worse, each was uniformly silent, as though the mountain itself were holding its breath.

"Well, I guess one tunnel's as good as any other," sighed Delia, holding the glowing rod in her teeth once again before getting back on her hands and knees and choosing to crawl down the central passage way.

After only a few meter's, however, the tunnel began narrow, and Delia found herself dragging her small body along with her forearms more often than not as the lower ceiling made crawling normally a non-option.

"Ye'd better be down here somewhere, kitty," the woman grumbled almost coherently, making a mental note to wrap the glow-rod in something the first chance she got as her teeth ached from the unnatural strain, "Cause if the next tunnel's this narrow, you can just stay down here!"

Delia struggled along for another ten minutes, until the tunnel narrowed a little more, its rounded edges causing the woman to have to squirm forward uncomfortably until she finally gave up, breathing heavily as she looked ahead into the darkness with annoyance. "I don't think a cat'd be able to go much further than this," she reasoned, knowing it wasn't true, but unwilling to get stuck. Wiping her brow as the close quarters and the exertion made her sweat despite the wintry conditions outside, Delia took a deep breath and started pushing herself backwards.

But as she moved, something caught the woman's attention on the edge of her hearing. Pausing for a moment and listening carefully, Delia glowered at the tunnel ahead. "You've got to be kidding me!" she grumbled, hearing the distant sound of a cat meowing piteously echoing up the tunnel, past where it narrowed dangerously.

Waiting a few moments to make sure that it wasn't her imagination, Delia heard the cat again, its call more insistent, almost pleading. "Alright then," the halfling muttered, adjusting the glow-rod a bit, "I'm coming. But you'd best be in imminent danger, lass, or I ain't gonna be pleased if I get stuck half-way down this tunnel!"

Moving carefully, her arms tucked under her, occasionally having to twist her legs awkwardly, Delia moved onward, the endless monotony of the tunnel wearing down on her nerves as much as the claustrophobic conditions. She was pleased, however, that the narrow tunnels didn't bother her as much as they could have. She did have to smile, however, as the commonsense advice her uncle had once given her of "Don't stick your head in a mason jar!" came to mind suddenly.

While the tunnel was still wider than that, it wasn't far off, and the further she went, the more Delia began to wonder just how it was she was going to move back along it. However, just as the woman was about to give up once again, the tunnel began to widen up ahead. Feeling heartened and knowing she could probably turn back around given a little more room, Delia struggled forward quickly, the light giving her tantalizing glimpses of what lie ahead.

"Almost there," the halfling panted, relieved to find she didn't need to tuck her arms under her chest uncomfortably, lifting herself up a bit as the tunnel sloped down and to the right, "it can't be much farther than this!"

But as the tunnel sloped further, the incline becoming more dangerous, Delia felt something strange against her hands. The tunnel felt strangely greasy, the walls shimmering slightly as she hesitated to stop, hearing the cat's yowling echoing up to her.

"Hold on!" she called back distractedly, pushing against the sides of the tunnel as the going became more slippery and potentially more treacherous, "I'll have ya out of there in no time!"

But even as she pushed against the walls for stability, the slippery substance soaked into Delia's clothing, and coated the palms of her hands, conspiring to eliminate all friction. Her green eyes widening, the halfling felt herself starting to slide forward involuntarily, her boots too smeared with the peculiar substance to allow the woman to stop herself simply by pressing her feet against the walls.

"Well this was a might foolish of me!" grumbled Delia as she found herself sliding forward, at last rolling on to her back in hopes that the cleaner side of her clothing would catch along the rock and hold her in place long enough to think.

Luck wasn't on the halfling's side, however, as the back of her tunic merely wiped up the clear goo, leaving a clear trail behind her, leaving Delia's body even more slick and slippery as she slid all the faster down the now spiralling tunnel.

As her speed increased, Delia had the presence of mind to take the glow-rod out of her mouth before putting her arms before her head to protect it, the woman clenching her teeth as she slid round and round the downward spiral until it straightened out again and the angle increased sharply.

Refusing to scream, Delia closed her eyes and felt the air-  
pressure change as the tunnel opened wider a few moments later. The woman then felt herself slip sideways, her body careening along what must have been a fairly open area before she went into a half-controlled roll.

Without thinking, Delia tucked in, her hindbrain knowing how to take a fall even if it took the rest of her mind half a second to catch up. Unfortunately, as she opened her eyes, Delia was just in time to see the light of her glow-  
rod vanish from sight, the sound of the quartz bouncing off granite several times before rolling into the darkness disheartening her.

Before she could react further, however, Delia came to a sudden stop against something that couldn't have been stone. It had some give to it, and halted her movement without being breaking any bones or suffering any real bruises.

Unable to see, Delia closed her eyes for a long moment, waiting for the world to stop spinning before rolling onto her back from her side and waiting a moment longer to catch her breath. Opening her eyes at last, more out of habit than anything else, the woman sat up and tried to her best to take in her surroundings.

Beneath her, the floor seemed solid and flat, free of the slippery substance that had been so obviously used to make the tunnel treacherous enough to trap trespassers lower down. Reaching her arms out in all directions, she couldn't feel the walls or ceiling, but the air was warm, with a slight breeze to it. Listening carefully as her ears stopped ringing, Delia's heart began to race as she realized where the warm breeze was coming from.

Somewhere in the darkness, she could hear quiet hissing sounds, as though a hundred serpents made their home there, yet where courteous enough of guests to remain fairly quiet. But the sound of breathing that Delia could hear, sounded far too large to be any normal snake. It sounded far larger. More than likely larger than a halfling.

Gritting her teeth, Delia bravely struggled to her feet and quickly found her footing, choosing to meet her fate head-  
on. Reaching to her belt, however, the halfling woman's heart sank in her chest as her small hand closed over empty air. Somewhere along the way, the long dagger she brought had been lost. Reaching with her other hand, Delia gulped down her nervousness, remembering that she'd left Whackety back in her tent for safekeeping, as she'd reasoned that the narrow tunnel would be no place for a whip.

"Alright then," Delia told the darkness determinedly, clenching her fists and bringing them up before her, "Bring it on!"

As if in answer to her challenge, a loud hiss filled the cavern, giving Delia some idea of its dimensions, and realising it was indeed quite large. Hoping she hadn't made yet another foolish mistake, the halfling listened for a moment to the sound of what seemed like a long, uncoiling, scaly body and the odd sound of a long, forked tongue flicking out at the darkness, tasting the air.

A heartbeat later, though, and a pair of seemingly huge, reptilian eyes appeared in the darkness, their bioluminescent glow seeming as harsh as the noonday sun after so long in the dark, causing Delia to gasp as she shielded her eyes.

Fully expecting what must have been an enormous serpent to strike out at her, Delia prepared to lunge to the left where she was sure the glow-rod and probably her dagger had landed, but the huge eyes, the size of saucers simply stared down at her from what must have been at least nearly six feet in the air for a long moment.

Narrowing her own eyes, Delia became more accustomed to the light, and once more took her defencive stance, the cavern around her slowly coming into view as the twin glows cast it in a dim amber twilight.

What she saw made the halfling woman's heart race. All around the enormous, ten-foot high cavern were what must have been hundreds of snakes, their scales done in odd, twisting patterns that would allow them to blend more easily with their surroundings.

The serpents seemed to take little notice in the woman, instead slithering about the various artefacts that all but littered the room. Heaps of glittering coins were piled haphazardly here and there, partially covering various weapons and suits of gleaming armour that making perfect places for the smaller snakes to dwell within, decorated much of the room. But where the obvious treasure hoard fell short, there were also piles of fine silks that would have been a rainbow of colours had the yellowish light not washed out all others, as well as furred cloaks and thick quilts and rugs, both of which had been woven into beautiful patters that wouldn't have looked out of place in a nobleman's keep.

But it was the serpent whose phosphorescent eyes lit the room that drew most of Delia's attention. With the better half of its body coiled loosely upon the floor, and the rest towering imperiously over the small woman, the halfling judged that the giant snake was at least twelve feet long, and almost as thick around as her thigh. Its long snout hung partially open, and she could see its twin fangs glisten in the light, it's foot-long tongue flicking out to taste the air between the every so often.

But once more, it was its eyes that compelled Delia. Staring up into them, the woman felt her legs begin to give out, making her want to sit back down, yet she defiantly remained standing. Her breathing still heavy from the exertion and the uncomfortable warmth of the room still causing her to sweat a little, Delia tried to utter a brave challenge to the beast, but found her voice catching in her throat, her limbs refusing to obey her commands.

More angry than afraid, the halfling realized what it must be like to be a mouse before viper, paralysed by its eyes, unable to flee, unable to fight, simply waiting for the inevitable strike of the serpent's poisonous fangs that would end it all so quickly.

The bite never seemed to come, however, as Delia's legs finally gave out, and she felt herself sitting back down on the ground, only this time, the hard granite was covered by one of the thick fur pelts she'd seen, this one formed into a blanked or perhaps a rug. Strangely unable to question its presence, Delia found herself feeling rather light-  
headed, as the world around her seemed to become blurry, difficult to focus upon. Only the snake's eyes seemed truly real; the only things that really mattered as she felt the presence of the other serpents near her were the twin amber orbs glowing in the warm, comforting twilight.

Delia slowly exhaled the breath she'd forgotten she'd been holding, the large serpent looming closer, it's tongue flicking out towards the woman and coming within inches of her without actually touching. Half wondering what had caught the snake's attention, the halfling glanced to either side of her, her head almost too heavy to lift.

It surprised Delia how calm she felt then, smiling to herself as dozens of small serpents slithered towards her prone body, crawling across the dark fur of the floor covering towards her. Feeling perfectly at ease, her senses swimming dreamily, the woman merely smiled to herself, giggling softly at the sensation as the tiny snakes slithered across her body, some being so bold as to slither up her sleeves and pant-legs.

Feeling their cool scales brush against her skin, Delia gasped, her back arching as her eyes fluttered closed, the sensation sending a pleasant tingle through her body. Without thought of protest, the halfling remained as still as she could, suddenly concerned about pestering the curious serpents into leaving.

Instead, Delia wet her suddenly dry lips, her body quivering as she felt several of them slipping under the collar of her tunic, their long bodies dragging across her chest, weaving around the rise of her bosom almost teasingly, avoiding the more sensitive skin almost intentionally.

Opening her heavy lidded eyes, Delia looked up at the significantly larger snake as its smaller kin slithered higher along her legs, some partially coiling themselves and moving strangely, almost caressing her skin as others moved higher. The largest of their number simply watched, however, as Delia looked into its compelling amber eyes once more, the woman lifting her hand to the snake, a sudden longing to touch its scales filling the halfling's mind as the snakes that slithered atop her clothing began finding began finding other places to slip inside, seeking the warmth of her body.

As those within her tunic worked with those outside to pull the bottom of the garment out from its place, tucked into Delia's pants, the enormous serpent came closer, it's body arched high into the air, with its coiled tail moving it's length closer to her at a slow, steady pace.

Catching her breath as two snakes slithered up each of her inner thighs, their underbelly scales brushing against her skin in a winding pattern, Delia felt the large one's tongue upon her hand. Cursing her gloves, the woman's eyes remained fixed upon the image of the snake's thick forked tongue wrapping about her hand before sliding slowly off, her glove inching slowly away from Delia's spread fingers with surprising ease.

Her breathing becoming ragged as she felt more snakes slither up, under her top, their flickering tongues soon caressing her hardened nipples as their bodies entwined and twisted their slithering way across her skin, Delia smiled, giving a small nod as her glove finally dropped to the floor.

The large snake's eyes turned to the faint sound of the glove hitting the rug for the briefest moment, and Delia caught her breath, suddenly recalling that snakes could easily sense even the slightest vibrations. Blushing, the woman was certain that it could sense her heart racing, her body trembling as his slick; soft feeling tongue touched her bare fingers at last.

Letting it caress her hand for a moment, Delia moaned softly, nibbling her bottom lip as she felt one of the snakes brush its head against her undergarments, the gentle caress causing her to unconsciously part her thighs in instinctive hope of giving it more room to manoeuvre. The snakes that wound their way up her legs responded almost immediately, and the halfling woman soon felt several long, slow caresses against her womanhood as each of them took turns slithering up one leg, and down the other, their bodies brushing against Delia's labia first one way and then the other as the serpents slithered from one pant-leg to the other.

Seeming somehow satisfied with the results, the largest of the snakes lifted its head, its tongue pulling away from Delia's hand, leaving her with a feeling of longing as she reached up with both hands to hold it once more. The snake, however, seemed to have other plans. Bending at the middle, its pointed nose nudged Delia's belt buckle significantly, its bioluminescent eyes looking up at her in a way that simply could not be denied.

Nodding slowly, breathing through her mouth as serpents wound about the base of her breasts, spiralling their way across them before slithering over top of her nipples, their entire body lengths taking turns that seemed to go on for hours, Delia hastened to obey the silent command.

Her normally nimble fingers fumbling, it seemed to take forever for Delia to unbuckle her belt and undo her pants, the garment feeling suddenly confining as the air in the room seemed to increase in temperature. Hastily lifting her bottom off the floor what seemed like an eternity later, Delia squirmed to free herself of her pants, pushing them halfway down her thighs before the sensations she felt caused what strength she had to all but evaporate.

Staring down the length of her body as best she could, the halfling woman caught her breath once more at the sight of so many snakes slithering along her short, athletic legs. As one, they slid across one another, weaving intricate patters as their shiny green scales caressed Delia's skin, their long bodies seemingly mingling together in places as they wrapped around her legs, occasionally giving the woman a gentle, teasing squeeze as they moved about.

Looking back up at what must have been their leader, Delia gave the serpent half a smile and a slow, reassuring nod as she bent her legs at the knees before going back to watching them for a moment. Her sinewy lovers took the motion as the encouragement it was, occasionally slithering their way up towards Delia's knees before coming back down, their flickering tongues teasing her inner thighs before gently bumping their heads against her still concealed womanhood and dragging their long bodies across the now wet undergarments the halfling wore.

Delia's body then let out an involuntary shiver, her fingers curling to take up handfuls of the furry floor covering as the woman felt the largest serpent's tongue touch her once more. The flat, forked appendage slid slowly up her leg, the snake's eyes looking intently into Delia's just before her head dropped back, aching for its touch.

The twin ends of the snake's tongue slid higher then, caressing Delia's skin every so often as it slipped over the backs of the smaller serpents, catching her here and there before sliding down the length of the woman's thigh.

Delia caught her breath as the serpent's tongue stopped short of her womanhood, instead licking its way back up her opposite thigh, the halfling opening her eyes and struggling to form words of protest, wanting desperately to demand that her lover not tease her so, but the halfling woman found it too difficult to speak as one of the smaller snakes poked its head under the waistband of her undergarments.

Staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, her body quivering with anticipation, Delia could feel the serpent's scaly body as it slithered along, its body curving as it moved to slide across her womanhood at an angle before pushing its head out the leg hole of the comfortable fitting garment. As it slid forward, Delia closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of her own wetness against her skin as it collected along the snake's underbelly.

As the serpent neared the end of it's length, Delia expected it to simply slither away, but the woman gasped in delighted surprise as it twisted around and pushed its way back in via the opposite leg, slithering back across her once more.

Pushing her elbows back, Delia found the strength to sit halfway up, giving a concern look of apology to snake that rolled off her chest as she did so, it's fellows wrapping slowly around her to for better support. Watching them for a moment, Delia caught her breath once again as a particularly long snake wrapped itself fully around her, it's head reaching a reasonable distance past its tail as it slowly spiralled its way higher.

Fascinated by its peculiar movements, Delia watched as its head came around her once before vanishing beneath her tunic, its scales dragging across her naked skin again and again, its kin making room for it as until its head finally came up from around and slithered across her bosom, stretching the material as it went. Delia moaned softly, struggling not to close her eyes as the serpent's entire length slid across both her breasts at once, dragging her nipples to one side as it went, teasing her to the point of near delirium as its movements lifted the halfling woman's top higher up her chest.

Refusing to lie back completely, lest she harm one of her reptilian lovers in the process, Delia let her head fall back, her upper torso supported by her forearms, her long, curly auburn hair tumbling behind her. As her whole body trembled, Delia could feel the smaller snakes everywhere. Caressing her skin, licking her teasingly, their bodies in constant motion, their soft, glistening green scales warming to her touch.

Closing her eyes tightly, panting for breath as the sensations became more and more overwhelming, Delia felt something brush against inner thigh, and moved her legs a little further apart. Finding herself desperate for release, the halfling woman let out a soft, whimpering moan as she felt a heavier serpentine body rest a portion of itself against the base of her right thigh, another portion of it partially entwined about her left ankle as it moved forward.

Now panting heavily, Delia hardly noticed as the snakes upon her body began moving differently. Working as one, they pushed Delia's tunic higher, and the woman soon felt warmer air upon her suddenly naked bosom, followed by something moist and flat dragging across her breasts, one at a time.

Opening her eyes, struggling to lift her head, Delia gasped, nearly falling back as she saw the enormous snake, pausing in its quest to coil around her, licking its long tongue back and forth across her breasts, its touch soon easing off so that it merely brushed against her nipples.

Noticing her renewed attention, the serpent let out a soft hiss, its tongue flicking in and out before brushing gently against the side of Delia's face. Signing softly, Delia let her head fall back slowly, smiling as she felt the serpent's tongue lightly caress her lips before winding down around her chin and tracing across her neck. The halfling woman then felt the serpent's muzzle brush lightly against her skin before slithering down over her shoulder and across her back at an angle.

Her body shaking with the effort required not to fall back, Delia gasped as she felt her lover wind its way underneath her right thigh, its nose brushing against her womanhood as the snake that slithered beneath her undergarments slithered out at last, and several of its kin clasped the bottom of the wet cloth carefully in their fangs before pulling it away.

Opening her eyes, Delia caught the gaze of the large snake once more as it patiently waited, the smaller serpents pulling down the last barrier between them and Delia's womanhood as it watched. Then, as her undergarments stopped at about mid-thigh, Delia's eyes widened, and the large snake dropped his head, moving under the confining garment and rearing up slightly, its amber eyes intent on the sight of the halfling's womanhood.

Knowing what was to come, Delia nodded quickly in what she hoped was an encouraging manner, her dark green eyes only partially focusing on the serpent as its long, forked tongue slipped out again, brushing against her stomach and dragging a little lower before retracting once more. Moaning helplessly, the halfling woman let out a lingering chuckle as she dropped her head back once more, slowly, carefully moving down onto her back as best she could, while still leaving room for her lover.

Delia then found that she needn't have bothered over much, however, as her back pressed against the thick length of the serpent's body, its hard muscles giving little give beneath her weight. Still resting against one forearm to steady herself, Delia closed her eyes as she felt the serpent's tongue at long last drag up the length of her exposed labia, its width easily covering her completely, and coming away more moist than it started.

In its wake, the air felt comparatively cool, and Delia gasped, her body wriggling against the light chill as the snake slowly dragged its length downward, slithering across the woman's body and coiling itself between her thighs. All the while, the serpent continued its chosen task, calmly, almost patiently licking at Delia's womanhood, the halfling's small hands half-caressing the sides of the snakes head as it did so for what seemed like an eternity.

When at last the serpent was settled comfortably, and Delia found herself once more lying in a comfortable position, her back resting once more flat against the thick, brown fur of the rug, the woman once more opened her eyes to look down at her serpentine lover.

As their eyes met, Delia gave the snake what she hoped was an approving smile, the woman's body shivering despite the warmth of the room, her skin craving renewed physical contact. The serpent obliged the silent plea, its tongue changing its path, instead pushing its end slowly into Delia's womanhood, causing the halfling to gasp even as the nimble appendage slid back out teasingly.

Swallowing hard to regain at least some semblance of rational thought, the woman gave her lover a quick, almost frantic nod as the snake stared questioningly back at her, its unblinking eyes seeming filled with suppressed desire.

With her permission gained, the snake's tongue slid between Delia's labia once again, moving cautiously further before wriggling inside her, causing the halfling woman to gasp as her fingers curled against her lover's soft scaled skin. With words failing her, Delia felt herself squirm instinctively, her body craving more of what her lover had to give as the serpent's tongue slid back and forth gently, exploring the halfling's inner contours with silent approval.

But as the snake leaned further foreword, Delia suddenly felt his tongue curl easily, its movements unhindered as the length of the warm appendage pressed wetly against her clit. Her eyes flying open, her hands shaking as she struggled to keep her head up to watch, Delia caught her breath as the snake's long, flat tongue began to rhythmically rub gently against her clit as its end pushed deeper inside of her. All the while, the serpent's hot breath panted against the woman's naked skin like the gentle caress of an attentive lover, its fangs not seeming nearly as frightening despite the close proximity.

Letting out a small laugh of disbelief, Delia let herself fall back once more, closing her eyes as the waves of sensation became too much to bare. Panting for breath, the woman soon heard the sounds of her passion echoing off the cavern walls, her cheeks flaring red with mingled embarrassment and ecstasy. As the snake's tongue dragged back and forth across her clit, its end twisting and writhing as it penetrated her, Delia suddenly felt a wave of passion wash over her.

With barely a moment's warning, an intense tingling shot through her body, instantly overwhelming the pleasant sensations the snake and its minions had given her, and making them seem trivial by comparison. All at once, Delia's body tensed, her hands dropping to the rug as her fingers grabbed up fistfuls of the thick fur rather than harm the one who was bringing her such joy. As her lungs forced out nearly every ounce of air in them in one prolonged moan of ecstasy, Delia's body trembled, her inner walls clenching as the sweet wetness of her passion met the serpent's tongue, nearly pushing it back out if not for the snake's persistence.

As Delia's cry of passion reached its peak, the smaller serpents began to slither off of her, their small scales dragging across Delia's skin, somehow finding just the right places to move across to intensify the sensation as they made way. As her cry abruptly ended, and Delia gasped huge lungfulls of air, the halfling pushed herself closer to the largest snake, her hips moving of their own volition, every so often jumping slightly and pushing the wriggling tongue ever so slightly further.

Her body still shaking, Delia soon found that she couldn't feel the floor beneath her anymore, a pleasant, floating feeling filling her mind and body as the friction of the snake's tongue became momentarily more soothing than passionate. All but forcing her eyes open, the still panting halfling woman stared down at her serpentine lover and did her best to smile, her muscles seeming unwilling to respond as she longed to hold the snake for a time.

Seemingly understanding the halfling woman's needs, the snake's tongue retracted, causing Delia's body to shiver as it slid out of her and vanished into its mouth. Breathing heavily, Delia somehow found the strength to lift her hands, beckoning to her lover as the serpent lifted its head and slithered forward, its underbelly scales dragging across her skin, its flank lightly touching her clit as it slid past, the snake's body twisting as it went.

The serpent's tail then wound lightly around Delia's right leg, its tongue flicking out once again, brushing against her nipple before its head slithered between the woman's breasts, before changing direction yet again to slide over Delia's shoulder. Lifting her head slowly, the halfling then felt her lover slither behind it before coiling back around to look down at her, giving Delia a warm, comfortable headrest as they watched one another intently for a long moment.

Smiling appreciatively up at the serpent, struggling to form words of thanks, Delia suddenly felt a warm feeling spread through her as the snake's lower body suddenly began to rub gently against her womanhood. Her eyes widening, Delia felt herself blushing once again as her body responded, her arms finally finding the strength to move, the woman touching the snake's long body, her hands holding it, her fingers caressing its scales fondly.

Staring intently down into her eyes, the snake found only approval and desperate passion as Delia found herself moving with the serpent, her hips bucking a little as she moved them, the snake's warm underbelly scales wet with her continuing desire rubbing a little more insistently as Delia's serpentine lover encountered no complaints to its actions.

Her hands moving up and down the length of the serpent's back, feeling its strong muscles beneath its scales, Delia moaned softly, her body craving more than she feared the snake was able to give. Watching it through heavy-lidded eyes, the halfling tilted her head back obligingly as her lover's tongue flicked out again, dragging slowly across her neck, up to her ear, tickling it lightly and causing Delia to laugh just as something unexpected rubbed against her soft skin.

Letting out a small gasp, Delia's dark green eyes widened as she felt something far warmer than the snake's bright green scales rub gently against her naked womanhood. As her body shivering with sudden nervous anticipation and renewed excitement, Delia barely dared to move, the object seeming to slide out of the snake's underbelly, lengthening and rubbing itself against her labia, dragging itself slowly up and down between them.

"You- You're-!" the woman managed before an embarrassed laugh escaped her lips, Delia never having considered the snake's gender, and now that it was most unmistakably male, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed for not having considered the possibility, as well as being intrigued despite a sudden nervous shudder that shook her small body.

Attentive as always, the serpent paused in his movements, watching Delia carefully, his member resting unmoving against her skin, its intense warmth spreading through her pleasantly like an unanswered question. Taking a deep breath, Delia could only nod, words failing her once more, and closed her eyes happily, her body quivering as the snake's length slid up, over her clit, slowly sliding back and forth several times as though to both excite Delia and give her a change to change her mind.

Feeling her senses almost screaming at her, Delia gave her lover a quick nod, a muffled whimper escaping her lips as she gritted her teeth, the woman determined not to appear desperate despite the sudden empty longing of her body. Only then as the snake's lower half lifted slightly, the end of his member sliding slowly down to the midway point of her labia, did Delia once more lie completely still, their eyes locked on one another as the snake paused, waiting for some last moment change of heart.

"P-please?" Delia whispered, her words barely audible, and more than likely unheard by her serpentine lover, but the intuitive serpent had no difficulty in interpreting the subtle movement of her lips.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, the snake's lower half moved inperceptively closer, the rounded end of his length pressing against her labia for a moment longer before they slowly began to part around it. As the halfling woman inhaled sharply through her mouth, the sensation spreading through her, the snake paused once more, leaving Delia's small body shaking beneath him for a long moment.

When she at last calmed somewhat, the snake pushed a little more, Delia's inner walls parting slowly and wetly before the end of his serpentine member, pausing once again as Delia inhaled, letting the breath go raggedly.

Swallowing down her nervousness, Delia nodded again, refusing to close her eyes as the snake pushed himself forward once more, his slow, serpentine patience bringing him further than before, but once more stopping as Delia's reaction began to intensify.

Forcing herself to calm down, Delia smiled up at the snake fondly, her hand moving to caress the side of his snout as he watched her reactions carefully. Seeing that he intended to stop the instant his movement caused her even a hint of discomfort, Delia felt her heart beat faster, her fondness for the gentle serpent growing as she pulled him a little closer.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, brushing her lips against the end of the snake's snout before giving him a gentle kiss, and letting him begin sliding inside of her once again.

Concentrating on the sensation, Delia smiled as she felt him inside her, her wet inner walls offering only token resistance as she relaxed, letting the snake's uniformly shaped member slide in a little further. Nodding her approval, beckoning him to fill her as best he could, Delia nibbled her bottom lip, the snake pushing slowly deeper, moving so gradually that the woman marvelled at his patience, even as hers began to dwindle around the edges.

Soon, however, the serpent changed his tactics, pulling back with equal ease and slowness, causing Delia to look up at him with sudden concern, her hands gripping the snake's body tightly. Her lover almost seemed to smile bemusedly in reply, his tongue flicking out teasingly as he slid himself forward once again, pushing a little deeper than before.

Delia gasped at the sensation, feeling a little embarrassed about her own eagerness and concerned that the snake might abandon her suddenly. Closing her eyes and sighing contentedly, the halfling squirmed a little as her serpentine lover slid back once more, never fully leaving the warm, wet friction of her womanhood before sliding himself forward, pushing at last to his limit, burying himself inside Delia.

Opening her eyes part way, Delia held her breath for a moment, her body quivering at the realization, squirming slightly upon the serpent's hard shaft. "D- don't move?" she whimpered, closing her eyes and holding him closer, riding the wave of the pleasant sensations as the snake obeyed Delia's request, the halfling's legs moving to become entangled with the snake's tail, desperate to hold him as closely as possible.

For what seemed like forever, Delia remained nearly motionless, breathing softly through her mouth as her body quivered, inadvertently causing her clit to rub against the scales of the snake's underbelly at the same time. The sensation alone was nearly enough for her, but Delia's body craved more. She knew that the sensation she felt, the one that easily pushed away any lingering doubts in her mind about what she was doing, would only take her so far. That soon the nerve endings that were simply humming with excitement would be screaming for more in a matter of moments.

Her eyes opening fully, Delia took a deep breath and wet her lips as she looked up at the snake, his patient expression still seeming amused, with a spark of intense arousal in his amber eyes. Nodding slowly to him, Delia felt her body jump as her serpentine lover began to slowly, but rhythmical move his lower half, barely leaving the halfling's womanhood each time he penetrated her, easing her into the sensation a little at a time.

Moaning softly, Delia lifted her head once more and the snake met her half way. Kissing him softly several times around the end of his snout, the halfling did her best to move with her lover, accepting each slow plunge with a pleasant shiver that shook her entire body, the warmth of him inside of her enough to cause Delia to break out into a sweat.

The snake hardly seemed to mind, however, his pace building, increasing slowly, always purposely one step behind Delia's desire, letting her set the pace. As the warmth of the woman's body increased, the snake merely pushed his body closer, curving his length across her, both to increase their contact, as well as to share in more of Delia's warmth.

As their mutual pace quickened, Delia dropped her head back, her long auburn curls fanning out around her as she rested against a portion of the snake's back. Panting heavily, almost insistently, she could feel herself reaching her peak once again, the wonderful friction of the snake's smooth, scaleless member against her inner walls enough to make her want to scream, but somehow Delia hung on to her voice, not wanting to scare him.

The calm serpent didn't seem to mind any of the sounds that escaped the halfling's lips, however, and instead pushed himself harder, reading Delia's expression easily her hips bucking against him. Flicking out his tongue at her, using it to caress her from neck to earlobe, the serpent's member suddenly seemed to swell slightly inside of Delia.

Her eyes going wide with realization, the woman's expression become desperate, her building passion almost too much to contain as she gave him a frantic nod. In response, the snake increased its pace, sliding swiftly, but gently in and out of Delia as the pressure seemed to build between them.

Then, as the halfling woman arched her back, her mouth open wide in a long, barely suppressed exclamation, the serpent bowed his head, his tongue swiftly sliding across Delia's bosom, teasing her hardened nipples as his own passion became too much to contain.

Barely holding her eyes open, Delia looked desperately up at her serpentine lover, her body trembling as the edges of her vision became fuzzy, her desire on the verge of overwhelming her. The snake responded with a knowing glance, his body quivering as much as Delia's as suddenly the halfling woman felt him let go inside of her.

As his intense warmth filled her, Delia felt herself pushed over the edge. Her arms and legs threatened to flail about, and if not for the snake to hold onto, she would have had little to keep her in place. Even as he continued to plunge in and out of her, Delia feeling him fill her again and again with his serpentine seed, and the perversity of it only pushed the halfling woman further over the edge.

It's perfectly safe, a portion of her mind tried to tell her, but Delia was far from caring. All that mattered was the intense sensation of her orgasm as she desperately bucked her hips back against him, riding out every last second of the long, drawn out sensation.

When at last she was able to realise that the gasping moans that echoed through the cavern were her own, Delia tried to focus her eyes once again, quieting as she breathed heavily and clung desperately to the snake.

Inside her, the snake's orgasm had apparently past, but his body still quivered atop her own. Delia didn't mind at all, however, and snuggled him closer happily. Kissing him softly as the snake's head came up towards her face once more, Delia chuckled softly, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately.

"Thank you," she whispered, rotating her hips slightly as she felt him inside of her, still hard but not as thick, the snake's member spent, but not entirely.

The serpent let out a soft hiss in response, his body relaxing against Delia's still tingling skin, the halfling woman closing her eyes happily.

For a long while, the two lay together on the furred rug, Delia drifting in and out of consciousness, as the snake's member seemed to take an eternity to retract back into his body, never quite loosing its turgidity. When at last it left her entirely, Delia let out a tiny gasp, the feeling of sudden emptiness leaving her both saddened and satisfied for the moment it took her to completely loose consciousness?

Delia murmured softly as she rolled over in her sleep, a frown slowly crossing the woman's small features as the floor beneath her felt cold and hard, not at all furry and warm as it had been before. Opening one eye, the world was once more plunged into complete darkness and nothing at all could be seen. Frowning, Delia sat up and shook out the arm she'd been resting her head upon. Glancing around habitually, the halfling cursed herself for being silly. No light, was no light.

Reaching blindly for her belt, Delia's hands patting the various articles affixed to it and breathed a sigh of relief as she found that nothing at all was missing. Not even her long dagger. Then, as Delia's small hand clasped upon the cool crystalline surface she'd been looking for, the halfling breathed a heavy sigh of relief, the dark not being her favourite place in the world to remain in. Pulling the clear quartz rod off her belt, Delia whispered the command word and the room was filled with a suddenly light that nearly blinded her again.

Squinting and blinking quickly, Delia's frown deepened as she glanced around suspiciously. The room she'd been in when she went to sleep had been larger; filled with lost treasures, artefacts and of course, snakes. Delia blushed at the last, but quickly realized where she was.

The chamber had four passages, one sloping sharply upwards, with three leading away from it, deeper into the mountain. "What the-?" she began before a peculiar sound touched her ears.

Turning completely around, Delia was surprised to see a large black cat, laying upon her side with several small, equally black, kittens blindly fighting over who would be fed first despite the lack of need for actual competition.

The mother cat looked up at Delia all too knowingly and let out a soft meow. It wasn't questioning, but sounded more like a statement, and something in the sound made the halfling blush.

Looking down, however, Delia was once more surprised to find herself fully clothed. Blinking loudly, she glanced up at the cat once more, but Klara was suddenly too busy licking a perfectly clean shoulder to pay the woman any mind, opposable thumbs or not.

Sighing heavily, Delia sat down and took stock of what was missing as she went over her memories of what had happened. Finding nothing out of place, she did, however, feel the stress of the last few weeks conspicuously absent. Her joints felt a little weak; her stomach told her that lunch was way over due, and there was a not entirely unpleasant, but still odd sensation about her womanhood.

Blushing, Delia leaned back and carefully slipped her hand inside her pants. As her fingers touched her labia, she jumped, the still over-sensitive skin reacting instantly. Breathing rather more heavily once again, Delia tentatively slid a finger along the line between them, and felt residual moisture as her body shuddered.

Quickly sliding back her hand, Delia rubbed two wetting fingers together and glanced back up at the cat. "So? It did happen, didn't it?"

Klara spared her the barest of glances before lying her head down, obviously having nothing more to add, and having no more patience for silly bipeds.

Sighing heavily and smiling to herself, Delia glanced back at the tunnel she had crawled through in search of the lost cat. "Well," she told herself, because obviously the cat wasn't listening, "whatever happened, at least it was a lot of fun. And I found the cat alive and well."

Turning back to the feline, Delia decided it would be best to leave her where she was until the kittens were old enough to wander off on their own. "I'll be back for ya'all later," the halfling promised with a grin, "Just be careful not to go down that center tunnel there. I don't think snake's are as hospitable to cats as they are to halflings."

Chuckling to herself, Delia set off back up the ascending tunnel to tell Albrecht that all was well, and to enjoy the complimentary, and very much filling lunch that was sure to follow the good news?

THE END

Copywright Nikolai Mirovich 2003


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